Spectacle case



Bept. 2, 1958 R. F. E. STEGEMAN SPECTACLE CASE Filed July 29, 1957 INVENTOR. BYR. F. E. STEGEM AN fig. Mai

ATTORNEY United States Patent SPECTACLE CASE Raymond F. E. Stegeman, Greece, N. Y., ,assignor to Bausch & Lomb Optical Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 29, 1957, Serial No. 674,839

Claims. (Cl. 206-5) This invention relates to spectacle cases and more particularly it has reference to the so-called open end type of spectacle case.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a spectacle case of the type described which will be relatively simple in structure yet efficient in use. Another object is to provide such a case having a structure such that it may be readily manufactured at a minimum cost. A further object is to provide such a case having a construction such that it will afford better protection to a spectacle placed therein. These and other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts as more fully described and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a spectacle case embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical, central sectional view of the lefthand end of the case as viewed in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the parts of the case in separated relation.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is disclosed in the drawings wherein indicates, generally, an open end spectacle case comprising an L-shaped frame member 11 and a reversely formed sheet material wall member or part 12. The frame member 11 has a long portion 13 extending longitudinally of the case and a short portion 14 which extends upwardly from one end of the long portion 13. Both the long portion 13 and the short portion 14 of the frame member 11 are substantially U-shaped in cross section, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The outer or upper end 15 of the short portion 14 is closed and the outer end 16 of the long portion 13 is open. The short portion 14 thus forms the closed end of the spectacle case. The frame member is relatively rigid and may be formed of any suitable material such as molded plastic, for example. Or, it could be made of light sheet metal having the proper characteristics.

The sheet material wall member or part 12 is formed of a piece of flexible sheet material which is reversely formed so as to provide the front wall 17 and the rear wall 18 for the case. The piece of reversely formed sheet material 12 has the two adjacent elongated bottom edges 19 and the adjacent short edges 20 at one end thereof. The piece of sheet material 12 is assembled by placing the edges 19 between the sides of the long portion 13 and inserting the short edges 20 between-the sides of the short portion 14. The lower edges 19 are secured, respectively to the adjacent sides of the U-shaped long portion 13 while the short edges 20 are secured, respectively, to the adjacent sides of the short portion 14. The edges of the sheet material part 12 may be secured to the portions of the frame member in any suitable manner, such as by cementing or sewing, or they may be secured by heat-sealing when the parts 12 Patented Sept. 2, 8

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and frame member 11 are made of suitable heat-sealable, plastic materials. The sheet material part 12 may be formed of a single, integral piece of material or it may be formed by laminating sheets of different material.

Thus, for example, the outer portion of the sheet material part 12 may be formed of a decorated plastic material and the inner wall of the sheet material part 12 could be formed of some suitably coated or flocked material which would not scratch the lenses of the spectacle to be held in the case. If desired, a sheet of stiffening material may be placed between the inner and outer layers so as to hold the part 12 in a desired form.

The sheet material part 12 has the short edges 21, at one end thereof, open so that they cooperate with the open end 16 of the frame member 11 and thus permit the insertion of a spectacle within the case. The upper folded end portion 22 of the sheet material part 12 is positioned within the closed end 15 of the short portion 14 and is secured thereto by cementing or heatsealing, for example.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I am able to attain the objects of my invention and provide a spectacle case which is simple in structure and can be made with a minimum number of manufacturing operations. The relatively rigid frame member 11 provides substantial protection for a spectacle contained within the case. The front and rear walls 17 and 18 of the case are preferably held in spaced relation by employing a sheet material which is relatively stiff, or by inserting a cardboard liner, for example, between the inner and outer layers of sheet material which are laminated to provide the part 12. In practice, I have found it advantageous to make the frame member 11 by molding it integrally of plastic. The sheet material part 12 has been successfully made by using an outer decorated plastic sheeting and inner flocked plastic sheeting and a stiif paper sheeting between the inner and outer layers. Various modifications may, of course, be made without departing from the scope of the invention as pointed out in the appended claims.

1 claim:

1. An open end spectacle case comprising a substantially L-shaped frame member which is relatively rigid and has a long portion extending longitudinally of the case and a short portion at one end of the case, said portions being substantially U-shaped in cross section, and a pair of front and rear walls joined along their top edges, the bottom edges of the Walls being secured respectively to spaced points along the sides of the long portion of the frame member, the edges at one end of the walls being secured respectively to spaced points along the sides of the short portion of the frame member, the edges at the other end of the walls being spaced apart for the insertion of a spectacle.

2. An open end spectacle case comprising a substantially L-shaped frame member which is U-shaped in cross section, said member having a long portion extending longitudinally of the case and a short portion forming the closed end of the case, and a piece of reversely formed sheet material providing two adjacent elongated edges and having two adjacent short edges at each end thereof, said piece of material forming the front and rear walls of the case, the elongated edges being secured respectively to spaced points along the two sides of the long portion of the frame member, the short edges at one end being secured respectively to the two sides of the short portion of the frame member and the short edges at the other end being open for the insertion of a spectacle.

3. An open end spectacle case comprising a piece of reversely formed sheet material and a substantially L-shaped frame member which is U-shaped in cross section and has a long portion and a short portion, said piece of sheet material having two adjacent elongated edges and two adjacent shorter edges, said piece of material being positioned within the sides of the U-shaped frame member with said elongated and shorter edges of the material secured to the respectively adjacent sides of the frame member.

4. An open end spectacle case comprising a substantially L-shaped frame member having a long portion extending longitudinally of the case and a short portion extending along the closed end of the case, said portions being U-shaped in cross section, the outer end of the long portion being open, the outer end of the short portion being closed, and a piece of sheet material reversely formed to provide adjacent elongated edges and adjacent shorter edges, said piece of sheet material being positioned within the U-shaped frame member with said elongated and shorter edges of the material secured to the respectively adjacent sides of the frame member and with the fold of one of the ends of the material positioned against the closed end of the short portion of the frame member, the other end of the material being open and corr cting with the open outer end of said long portion of the frame member to provide an opening for the insertion of a spectacle.

5. An open end spectacle case comprising a frame member having a long portion extending longitudinally of the case, said portion being U-shaped in cross section and forming the bottom of the case, said member having a short portion extending upwardly from one end of the long portion, said short portion being U-shaped in cross section and closed at its outer end to provide a closed pocket which serves as the closed end of the case, the outer end of the long portion being open, and a pair of front and rear walls made of sheet material and joined at their top edges, said walls having two adjacent lower edges and two shorter edges at each end thereof, the lower edges being positioned between the sides of the long portion of the frame member and secured respectively thereto, the shorter edges at one end of the walls being positioned within said pocket and secured respectively to the sides thereof, the other end of the walls being open and coacting with the open end of the long portion of the frame member to provide an opening for the insertion of a spectacle.

Kaskey Oct. 9, 1928 Stegeman May 29, 1956 

